Netbank (ntbk) gains 20% in a falling market

Guten Morgen an alle!

Beim Durchscreenen der interessanten US-Stocks ist mir die Kursbewegung von NetBank aufgefallen. +20% in einem fallenden Umfeld. Zur Informtion: netbank bietet Vollbankdienstleitstungen im WWW an. Im Zuge des Broker/Banking Hypes im Maerz/April stieg netbank im Mai dieses Jahres im Hoch auf 83$, um dann innerhalb von vier Monaten auf ca. 17$ zu fallen. Das 52 Wochen-Tief von Netbank lag bei ca 4$. Auf dem derzeitigen Stand scheint Netbank wieder attraktiv zu sein, evtl. auch fuer eine Uebrnahme durch einen etablierten Banking-Player (market-Cap 700 Mio US$). Es folgt ein Auszug aus CBS-Marketwatch.

Happy investing

;-)

Frodo



Buyout buzz on Net.Bank

Net.Bank shareholders have endured the definition of an up and down year. After a split second in the 80s, shares of Net.Bank (NTBK: news, msgs) retreated all the way back to the teens. Those investors who have been trying to weather the storm felt a bit better on Thursday when the stock pieced together a healthy 20 percent gain. Why the pop? When no immediate news hit the ticker, inquiring investors hit the boards.

Buyout rumors are always swirling around on the boards, and, on Yahoo, OptionsPlayer displayed his thoughts about some possible suitors: "Could the rumor be with Schwab? Bank of America sounds good too. Got to think some big company would try picking up an already established net bank like NTBK."

On Raging Bull, Sonicboom fueled the takeover fire: "It would make sense to have NTBK bought out by another brokerage given E-Trade's recent moves in this venture. If it were to come, I would expect it to come from one of the secondary runners like Ameritrade. Probably not Schwab, they don't need it." Fenway78 chimed in on The Motley Fool: "I follow NTBK and AMTD, and their stock prices have been pretty much moving in tandem lately. AMTD moves up or down one day, NTBK seems to follow either same or next day ... and vice versa. What do you think? Just coincidence? Just 'sector sympathy'?"

NTBK
NASD

Last Chg.
24 9/16 +4 1/16
% Chg. Vol.
+19.82% 4,777,200
Day Lo. Day Hi.
20 3/8 27 5/16
Open Prev.
20 7/16 20 1/2

As of
Aug 27/99 2:56 am ET
Last Trade
Aug 26/99 4:00 pm ET
15 MIN. DELAY




Some NTBK bulls, like Caicoskid, downplayed the buyout speculation and stressed patience: "Keep in mind that NTBK management has never hyped the company unlike so many of the wannabes like USAB. If the company continues to act like the class of the online banking industry, NTBK will be recognized as such by the market in due time. Stretch your time horizon for this stock out at least six months and you're sure to be handsomely rewarded. Stretch it five years and you can probably retire. The only glitch would be a near-term buyout which Net.Banks us a quick but smaller profit."

Is this just some hot air from overzealous message boarders or is there a thread of truth? Someone out there is buying on the hype. Net.Bank shares closed the day up 4 1/16, or 20 percent, to 24 9/16 in a down market. We'll have to wait and see if this buzz has any legs.